Well, the first paragraph already made me chuckle.

I love the bits about Saladin. For some reason they're funny to me. It's like, this is professional territory but considering the other things they are dealing with currently it feels ordinary and somewhat cozy, even domestic? Idk how to explain it but like it!

"“The last I heard the school was still standing”, Griffin grinned. “Though I wonder if she’d own up to it if that weren’t the case. I’d probably have to wait for Zara to rat her out to learn about it.”" I laughed out loud! These are my disaster witches and I love them!

"Griselda was pretty much a polar opposite of Griffin’s disaster of a second-in-command and her other half." Idk, I just loved the wording in this.

"But Griffin hardly felt her presence was essential." Oh, come on! I was just glad to see some of her sense return in the previous sentence and she swerves right back out of it.

"Faragonda asked with the enthusiasm of a fairy overly invested in the interpersonal relationships of people she held dear" That's so cute!

"but the woman had also spent the morning before meeting her daughter by absolving Griffin from the sins of the man responsible for the predicament." "Faragonda, if anyone, deserved the opportunity to share her regrets and fears" The first sentence was already hurting and then the second once made it worse. Dammit, Griffin! I thought we were at least somewhat over that!

"supported her in ways Griffin couldn’t because of her own problems" Oh, come on! You'd think she would've listened to Marion but nah.

"Griffin made a mental note to ask Faragonda to keep an eye on Marion, though, just in case." Awww, she's so precious! i wish she'd pay some attention to that side of herself as well.

"and maybe a little out of that weird sense of policing the world that every fairy seemed to have" I almost spat out my water, wtf? Though, I guess I can't blame you for my bad timing of drinking water. XD This is hilarious (even if not completely unbiased) and I love it! Also feels very Griffin.

"“It’s been really good to see them again”, Griffin said, letting every word fill with the passion and devotion of how much she meant the sentiment in order to satisfy Faragonda’s curiosity enough to discourage her from inquiring. Griffin wasn’t ready to share the conversation she’d had with Marion just yet, needing some time to reconcile with it herself before repeating it. The defense was all the more important when she sat down next to Faragonda, eliminating the possibility of a physical barrier." This was both adorable and painful, and overall, super feelsy in all the ways.

"Faragonda’s smile could’ve melted ice." She's so precious! And their friendship is so precious as well!

"the gleam in her eyes betrayed her excitement" I love that since we don't really get to see Faragonda bursting with emotion. She's always so calm and returns to that quickly even if she's been thrown off and I love seeing her excited! Besides, she has a great reason and this (all their reactions to being reunited) feel so authentic with the great range of emotion they cover. I can just feel how happy they all are to be reunited and that also speaks of how close they were and how much they meant to each other, and I can just picture their bond and the way it looked even back during the war and it's just... too pure for words! (Yet, I keep rambling. XD)

"so Griffin didn’t feel awkward absorbing all the trivial details she would’ve wanted to ask Marion about if the latter hadn’t expertly steered them clear of small talk during their previous conversation" I am getting so many feels again. Idk, this just gives their friendship this comfy and down to earth feeling and I love that considering the context in which it was forged and forced to grow.

"The apparent consideration for her emotional well-being had Griffin’s insides turn into liquid and trickle to the bottom of her stomach. As per usual, Faragonda had Griffin’s best interests in mind. She’d always cared for her and taken care of her, been Griffin’s metaphorical sun and literal shoulder to cry on. " Well, I am getting shippy feels now (especially from that first part). Plus, some crafty descriptions again.

" if one could call it that when it had been Faragonda monologuing with Griffin too deep in thought to process half of what had been said" I am chuckling even though this also has that heaviness that the whole situation is marked with!

"loitering around Alfea" That's kinda funny to picture considering Griffin's feelings on fairies (even though the head of Alfea is more or less her home, metaphorically speaking) but I think this might be more hysterical laughter on my part because Griffin must feel pretty lost to do that and now I am getting emotional and ready to cry... Fuck.

"“You talked about me?”
“Yes?”" The confusion in this is so clear, it is comical and I love it. But Griffin's thoughts after her question... Oh, baby!

"But you and Hagen have been nowhere to be found, so Marion resorted to secondary sources. And I had to resort to telling her about you since I didn’t know where you were either. I don’t know why Marion thought you weren’t avoiding me as well." This is just so in character that I am cackling through the tears in my eyes. XD That last sentence, though! Is that some softly delivered sass on Faragonda's part? Whatever it is, I am loving it!

"Faragonda sighed, the exhale frustrated yet unmistakably sad as well. “Griffin, please. What is going on?”" Awwwwwwwww! Babies! :,(

"Griffin shook her head with a humorless chuckle when Faragonda didn’t rush to deny the implication." Well, I am crying. Griffin, nooooooooooooooooooo!

"make you feel like you were obligated to continue to choose me just because the universe once chose for you by sparing me instead of them" What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck? WHAT THE FUCK?! My poor heart!

"“That’s the opposite of what I-“, Faragonda’s gasp turned into a sigh when she cut herself off, “Griffin, please hear this.”
Faragonda gathered Griffin’s hands into her own, squeezing like she was afraid Griffin would slip away. The thought made Griffin’s stomach drop. Faragonda was everything to her; she’d never truly push her away. Even when she’d wanted to, she hadn’t been able to – or maybe rather Faragonda had known she hadn’t actually wanted to." This is so soft, WTF! *ugly sobbing*

"She must have forgotten; there was no other explanation for why she’d placed her pride higher, especially with Faragonda." Omg, my heart will burst! (Not to mention that I am getting feelings on a personal relationship of my own and that is so unfair!)

"She’d seen Griffin at her absolute lowest, be it physically, mentally, or morally. And yet she’d never turned away." Forgive me for quoting everything but I just love it too much not to!

"So let me be clear now: there’s nothing, or no one, that would come before you. The universe decided all of our faiths that day, and yes, you saw it yourself how terribly losing Marion and Oritel hurt – but don’t you even dare hint that there was ever a time I would not have been utterly grateful for the grace that you being spared was. You’ve never been an obligation.” Well, it's all streaming down my face now. Tears, feelings, everything. This is just... I don't know. Soft isn't nearly strong enough to describe it, and loving seems somewhat lacking as well. Can we call it True Love? I feel like that comes closest to the words I need for this.

"There was a fierceness in Faragonda’s voice despite the sheer heartbreak shining in her eyes, her hands gripping Griffin’s tighter while Griffin could sense the negative energy slipping between Faragonda’s fingers." I loved this whole description! But especially the second part!

"Griffin locked her jaw as she blinked back tears, Faragonda’s words having hit somewhere deep. She wondered if she’d missed a spot while patching pieces of herself back together after Marion had torn her apart with frightening precision and tenderness, but truth be told, Faragonda always seemed to find the slightest of cracks through which to reach Griffin no matter how tightly she was wrapped in her defenses. Or perhaps Faragonda created the cracks herself with her mere presence." Well, what are you doing now? I can't even blink back the tears! And just so you know, I think I will constantly refer to Griffin and Faragonda as the True Love bond from now on.

"Even Faragonda’s kindness couldn’t miraculously cure everything, but her presence at least replaced the pitch-black darkness with a fog that her brightness could penetrate, so Griffin had a direction in which to head." Ssssssstop! I think one comment will not be enough for my feels if you keep that up!

"After a while, Griffin had given up on questioning why she did so and accepted that Faragonda was as ready to lay down her life for Griffin as Griffin was for her. She still didn’t understand it, though. The only other person to have consistently put her first had been her mother. Griffin hadn’t known devotion like that could exist aside from familiar love. The closest she’d come had been with Valtor, but even with him, she’d been second to power." You know, this is soft but also super painful when you think about it. It kind of sums up all the love Griffin has had (though, there are also the twins and the other Company of Light members but I feel like they should be separated anyway) and it's just... just really shocking how small her universe of love is and how big at the same time.

"No better herself, Griffin had chosen the world and her conscience over him." No better, she says only to contradict herself with her very next words. Although, in a sense, she wasn't better to Valtor than he was to her and that's the ultimate tragedy of their love (which I know we have discussed time and time again but somehow, the feels never run out).

"she didn’t have that infinite amount of love to share with the universe when it had so often let her down" You stop that right now! (Damn if this didn't hit deep.)

"She had found her limits by being pushed against them and reached them by crashing into them. She was finished, cornered by her past mistakes with no room to give in anymore lest she crossed some boundary. She was worried Faragonda was in a similar situation. Not in the sense that she, too, would break if she had to bend any further, but in the sense that she had no options left. Faragonda had willingly chosen her so many times that Griffin couldn’t help but agonize over the possibility that she’d only done so because she’d felt like she had had to." I absolutely loved the metaphor of being backed up against a wall with no choices but then that last sentence just makes me wish Faragonda would smack her on the head. Which we both know she wouldn't do - EVER - so I volunteer instead and am asking your permission. XD

"Relieved, Griffin squeezed the hand she could now trust hadn’t been forced." How dare you word it like that? I love it! And I am rethinking that plan from above. She may listen to sense, after all, and I really hope so. And of course, it will be Faragonda that will manage to help her with that, not anyone else. *drawing heart with fingers in space* True Love! (and I don't even mean it romantically.)

"“How are you always there when I need you?” Griffin asked, trying to hide the wetness of her voice by morphing her question into a chuckle.
Faragonda’s smile was as gentle as her tone as she said, “I swore I’d never let you break, remember? I intend to keep that promise as long as I’m alive.”" *softly* What the fuck?! Haven't you squeezed every last feeling out of my heart already?!

"She couldn’t even begin to think about Faragonda dying." *softly yet warningly* Don't! (Look what you did now! I already got an idea from this!)

"Promised to be there as her strength when Griffin had lacked it herself. Promised to be the one to make sure none of the pieces she’d crumbled into got left on the ground and trampled." So they got married in a platonic way? That's what I'm getting out of this. XD

"Well, there was one heartbreak that had been beyond even Faragonda’s influence." Fuck, you're talking about Valtor, aren't you?

"Never, for it was so intricate and specific that there was only one person who could fit in it. And that man didn’t exist anymore." Gdi!

"“Thank you for making that promise. And for keeping it.”" Sofffffft beyond belief. Also, I don't think I have ever heard anyone give thanks for a promise made. For a promise kept, sure. But for a promise made? I love how that implies that just the thought of promising that would have been enough for Griffin (and probably more than she thought she deserved). I am a mess now if I wasn't already, from the very start of this chapter.

"and thus hadn’t wanted to intrude" Yet, she keeps maintaining she's not selfless. How is that not selfless, Griffin? Did your mirror break? I'm sure Faragonda will lent you hers so that you can see you're not being fair to yourself.

"It was only in Faragonda’s company where there was no tremble in her voice at the name that made her whole body ache." You know, I noticed that in the beginning of this part, too, and I am glad Griffin admits it as well. Maybe it will make her stop running from her friends.

“For me, losing you would be one of those. I’ve been terrified for you at times, Griffin. I am terrified for you at times. Because I can’t lose you. You’re too dear and too important to me.” I am glad you agree with that idea I mentioned getting before even if you don't know what it is yet. XD

"She turned her attention to playing with her fingers in her lap, twisting them like she tried to do to her thoughts to get the right words out." One of your signature sentences and I love it!

"She wouldn’t muster up the courage to bring it up again, so she might as well add the current conversation to the pile of wounds she’d need to tend to. It would be smarter to heal them all at once." Oh, so now she's being logical about this? But also, poor baby!

"flitting her eyes to the wall again as she breathed out the question that was burning her tongue, “Who had you to lean onto?”
She needed to hear Faragonda say it." This is so precious and I love the wording!

"Griffin couldn’t in clear conscience wait for her own name, but she couldn’t care less as long as Faragonda said someone else’s. As long as Faragonda had had someone. Maybe she’d confirm Griffin’s belief that she owed Saladin for more than herself." Stop that! They are too precious and need to be protected at all costs!

"She’d gotten used to life without Hagen’s brash self following Faragonda around as had been the norm 17 years ago" This is cracking me up, I'm sorry! Although, I am also... shocked? by Griffin's reaction. I accidentally read the start of the first sentence of this paragraph while I was still on the previous and I thought she might be jealous or angry on Faragonda's part (because Hagen left) but she's just concerned (and self-deprecating) and I am just chilling over here in a puddle on the floor.

"Griffin frantically thought about all the times she’d wept in Faragonda’s arms. During how many of those had Faragonda been hurting, too?" During all of them since I imagine that seeing Griffin hurt always hurts Faragonda as well.

"Just as she was about to fall deep into the rabbit hole her mind was digging with her memories as shovels, someone grabbed her." 10/10 description.

"“I was always burdening you with my pain.” She barked out a humorless laugh and used her free hand to gesture
between herself and Faragonda. “Still am.”
“And I will always prefer that to you carrying it all on your own”, Faragonda deadpanned. “Always. It’s not a burden. I’m only grateful that you feel safe enough to share your pain with me.”" I am wailing (and also quoting everything)! STOP!

"Faragonda was causing her heart to do such somersaults that there was room nowhere in her chest for something as trivial as air." I just love this so much!

"If the war had never happened, Faragonda would never have needed to carry them both through it." I am trying to restrain myself when it comes to quoting, and yet, I can't. But since you put in the effort to write all of this, I may as well quote all of it back to you with added thoughts - whenever there are some. Sometimes it's just me screeching like a crow that just saw something shiny and managed to grab it.

"Faragonda inched closer, covering Griffin’s hands with her own. Griffin flipped her wrist so that she could link their fingers." Let's go with (completely, absolutely, devastatingly) adorable this time since I think it's been longer since I used that as opposed to precious. Also, so touching (even though I have a feeling my pun is spoiling the moment).

“I should’ve told you years ago – I just didn’t realize you needed to hear it." Imma cry harder at that.

"I barely lost anything. Except for hope”, Faragonda nearly spit out the last word, sending chills along Griffin’s spine.
Griffin shook her head so vehemently she wondered if Faragonda could hear how the pieces of her heart rattled inside her ribcage. " First of all, I share Griffin's feelings (or is state? position?) on this. And secondly, I love the description. Oh yeah, also, Faragonda's words destroyed me and I am having a hard time not calling it stupid. I wish they weren't so similar when it comes to blaming themselves.

"“I think you’ve seen that already.”
At Faragonda’s look, Griffin continued, “I’ve been stuck in the past. You moved on.” She let some lightness into her tone, certain in her words. “We’re both here, now, aren’t we?”
Faragonda watched Griffin with something akin to pride, or at the very least, wonder, before slowly whispering, “We are.”
She exhaled, allowing her smile to grow into one Griffin could once again find comfort in as she stated, defying the world and odds and everything else they’d fought against the past 17 years. “We all are.”" Yeah, I am quoting whole paragraphs at you. It's not my fault you wrote so much good stuff. I love how soft this all feels since it is the ending to so much abrupt and unexpected changes and so many feelings rushing back in And while they all still have so much to handle, they are left with what truly matters - they survived and so did their friendship and they have each other's support to get through everything that will come next. They survived those seventeen years torn apart but now that they are back together, they can surely overcome the consequences.

I have to say that I think it was right for the story to have this scene separated from everything else. It felt like its own part even if its connection to the previous part was strong enough for them to be in one chapter. I am in love with all of this and also very grateful to you for all the thought you put not only into fleshing out and going through all the repercussions the situation has on all of them, but also for coming up with an ending that feels both organic and not rushed and also soft and hopeful. It certainly left me with a good feeling despite all the angst that they (and I ) went through and that I think is one of the most important jobs when it came to this fic. Congratulations, you nailed it! All of it! I loved every second of this! Thank you for the experience!

EEEEEEEEEH! It's the flashback! I am not going to quote any parts I've already read even though I still love them So. Much! to make room for all the other quoting I have a feeling we will experience. XD

Oh, wow! This got from adorable and fun to sensual so fast I don't know how to handle it. I love it, though! And Griffin seems to fall for it pretty fast as well. ;)

"Griffin’s body had given up all control and was obeying his words instead of her mind." I love this! Exactly how I imagine it was for them.

"She seized his hand that was still wrapped in her hair, caressing his knuckles mindlessly as she turned her head to catch his eyes." This was so tender, idk. And Valtor admitting to having missed her? *swoon*

"as another punishment for her failure the previous time – but made sure her distress wouldn’t hurt him by wrapping it up in a soft tone and enveloping it in the love that threatened to drown her if she didn’t let it out. “I missed you too.”" Awwwwwww! (But also... THEY HURT HER?! I mean, that is not at all unexpected or unusual but I am still super mad about it! And making him go on a solo mission to punish them further! Uggggh, I hate them!)

"He held her neck with his other hand, guiding her lips to meet his as if her heart didn’t have the action in muscle memory. The night sky long forgotten, she yearned to trace the constellations on his skin, his eyes reflecting the glow of the stars brighter than any nebula." My heart is melting from all the shippy feels!

"It had been her mistake, and he’d paid for things that hadn’t been his fault too many times in his life already, just as he would continue to. He was a dark wizard – that was enough justification to blame him for everything wrong with the world that told him he was wrong." (I wanted to quote the whole thing but that might be a bit too much.) Oof, I am getting all kinds of feelings here. Griffin really justifies what they did to her for her mistake? Poor baby, no! She did not deserve that! And then her feelings on Valtor and the world. Ahhhh, my poor heart!

"yet he’d maintained a capability to feel. To love. He’d only needed her to show him that part of himself while letting him see every part of her. " I am dead! This ripped out my soul with how precious and innocent it is, especially when you remember what happens next.

"She’d leave the Coven if he wanted to." Call 911, I have the most severe case of broken heart! How could you do this?! Knowing what happens to them?! I am sobbing my eyes out! (I wanted to quote the rest of this paragraph and the previous one as well but I had to highlight this specific line because you know damn well what you've done here!)

"She’d be everything he’d need.
But he couldn’t leave. So, she’d stay." *ugly sobbing intensifies*

“turning around to find Marion with her hands raised in the air, the apology in her stance as well as on her face.” Marion is so precious.

“she was still half-expecting Lysslis or one of her sisters to emerge from the shadows at any minute. Or worse, Valtor.” Aaaaand, it’s back to crying.

Awww! Look at them! Both concerned for each other! They’re so adorable, I love them!

““Why do you like the stars, Griffin?”” I love this! I love how Marion just popped the question. It seems so out of place but I like it. It’s kind of like Marion is trying to distract them both from they’re problems by giving them a chance to share and grow closer. Idk, I just imagine it that way.

“For even the stars couldn’t chase away the loneliness when it was the ghost of Valtor’s touch that kept her company, making her yearn for the man himself with only the night sky playing witness to her lapse in morality.” That last part is killing me. Not that the rest isn’t heartbreaking but that just... what lapse of morality? Loving? That is not a lapse of morality, Griffin, please!

“Hugging herself to keep the memories inside, Griffin fought a shiver, mistrusting her ability to hide its cause from Marion as the night was warm and the woman’s eyes were keen.” I absolutely love this wording!

““I have a constant companion now. But I’ve never felt more alone.”” I was so shocked I nearly gasped audibly! First, it is such a striking contrast for her to describe her pregnancy (giving life to another human being and carrying it inside you) as the loneliest she’s ever felt. And second, to admit that so openly to Griffin. I am shook!

“Griffin opened her mouth, the urge to say something strong, but she’d never been good at platitudes. Hoping that had been Marion’s intention all along, Griffin resorted to showing her support via body language by turning to fully face her friend as she continued.” Omg, so many feelings again. I love how Griffin kinda feels like she’s bad at friendship while at the same time she shows she is great at it when she knows the right way to express it as she doesn’t try to touch Marion (which we’ve established is not exactly Marion’s cup of tea) but still tries to support her!

“He’s been wonderful – you all have,” I love this so much! *sob* And I think I remember something about Marion joking she could show her most negative to Griffin and still be the positive person in a previous chapter and I love that this is demonstrating it (as I am sure Griffin has all the negativity to meet this with).

“Marion took a breath, her eyes frantic as they settled on Griffin’s face even though the rest of her body seemed to have frozen into a shield between the world and the baby inside her.” What the hell are you doing to me? This feels like Marion is giving all of herself to protect the baby but she still needs some comfort... and she went to Griffin for that! I am an absolute mess! I mean, the implications!

“Marion hardened her features, but the tremble in her lower lip before she caught it between her teeth managed to shake Griffin, too.
“I’ve never felt this powerless. This… insignificant.”“ Oof, I love how well this circles back to the stars! And kind of to Griffin and Valtor as well because she wanted to protect him from the world but she couldn't and now she is alone. I just... I don’t know how to handle this.

"She hadn’t been insignificant before, but she was now, which was twice as cruel." Ouch, ouch, ouch. My poor baby. I feel so bad for all of them, having to carry all that weight on their shoulders.

"However, Griffin had been more intimately acquainted with Valtor’s Dragon Fire than anyone else aside from himself – including his mothers – had. They’d shaped him from the flame themselves, but handcrafting a magical artifact could never come close to loving the man embodying the flame. She’d felt all of him, shared all of him. His body, his magic, his soul." This is so painful but also very romantic. I love the idea of Griffin being so close to him that she shared his magic with him. And idk, in a way it feels that, this is going to sound weird, the Dragon Fire supported their love and let her feel its power because Griffin and Valtor were one. (I also wanted to highlight the parts about Marion's Fir being a force of life but that would be too much quoting. I love the idea, however! And Griffin being able to feel it!)

"Especially when Griffin could find fault in every other decision she’d made in her life, but she couldn’t bring herself to regret meeting him." Well, I don't have anything except for tears and heartbreak. They should have been together. :,(

"She couldn’t think the universe would be so cruel, even to a witch. There’d be too much collateral damage for an act of revenge against a single human being." Oof. I just... I can feel her pain.

"“I’m glad you’re with us, Griffin. Your plans have had a higher success rate than Oritel’s – as much as he despises to admit it”, Marion smirked." I grinned at this. First, I was touched by Marion's confession, and then, the part about Oritel made me chuckle even if I am also ready to start happy sobbing at someone giving Griffin credit for her help (especially when she can't give it to herself). They're just there for each other and it's beautiful and at least somewhat soothing in their horrible situation.

"Griffin’s smile grew even when she was still processing the fact that Marion had told her that she valued her expertise more than her husband’s." I am getting shippy feels about Marion and Griffin that I don't know what to do with considering their place isn't here.

"Griffin appreciated hearing Marion say she’d been useful; she could almost believe it then." *eternal screaming* Why is she like that? Ugggggh! I'm in pain!

"Marion chuckled, not rushing to blindly defend her husband but showing she was all right with making a little fun of him when he was acting like a fool. For Griffin, that had been a major sign Marion might be worth letting in – along with Faragonda’s vouching and the constant push on Marion’s part." Yeah, remember those feels I mentioned? They're coming back and you need to stop!

"“He doesn’t trust them”" This. Hurt! So. Much!

"Griffin was worried that the rage in her voice, if buried, would eventually burn the baby." Oof. I an just shocked and don't really know what else to say except that Griffin is so concerned for the baby, it's ripping out my heartstrings, thanks.

"Griffin hadn’t yet considered becoming a mother herself – the thought was pointless now that the only man she could’ve wanted as the father to her children was trying to kill her – so she couldn’t relate, but she understood." I am crying so hard!

"But she understood it was different for Marion – it was what she was fighting for. For a future. For herself and especially for her children." I am too emotional to truly say anything of importance about these but I really wanted to quote them.

"She was more worried about what she’d leave behind. Her legacy couldn’t be the misstep her heart had spoken her into. The mark she left in the world couldn’t lead to its destruction." Oof, I hadn't thought about that and now I am in so much pain. Why did you have to do this to me?! (Although, hey! A new angle to her guilt! I would've thought we'd poked at all of these by now but you found some fresh despair to squeeze out of the situation! XD)

"once again leaving Griffin with only her own sense of judgment – even when Marion should have known firsthand how terrible of an idea that always was." I honestly have no idea what Marion is doing here but I really hope she is taking this somewhere. It's just too harsh to throw that question out there without a reason for it.

"They were friends; maybe she wanted to see how long that would last." Okay so... I don't know. I don't know how to word my feelings on this and I shouldn't ramble anyway bc there's still half a chapter left so... Yeah.

"“I’ll kill him. If I get the chance.”
“He’ll do the same.”" I love how honest this is and how they trust each other to say these things. I kinda feel like Griffin sort of said that to encourage Marion to kill him ( subconsciously at least) because if it is up to her, she won't be able to kill Valtor and that is the only way to truly stop him.

"The words had slipped easily from her tongue even when it felt to be glued to the roof of her mouth." I just loved this description!

"“But how do you know what’s right?”" Well, that was kind of like a slap in the face.

"Taken aback, Griffin murmured a thank you. Going into academics had been self-evident all along, but she hadn’t set out to become an educator. Especially considering her lapse to the immoral side of dark magic." That first sentence is so cute! And I was so happy to see this part about her being a teacher and Marion's reaction to it that I am grinning like an idiot! And then that last sentence! Gdi, Griffin! Again? After all this time?!

"Griffin laughed at Marion’s expression that made it clear she shared the dislike." That is so cute! Also, it feels, to me at least, that they have even more in common now that Griffin is also a leader and has her students to look after.

"Griffin rolled her eyes but got up. “Of course”" I amm chuckling! This is so adorable, especially considering their age. They're like kids and they deserve a little respite from all that's going on.

"even when it didn’t compare to Cloud Tower," XD So in character!

"Honestly, I’d take chest armor over these corsets any day.” I am living for this banter! It is so cute and I love how it shows they have other things to talk about instead of just the war and the past. They feel like normal (even somewhat younger than they are) women and I love that!

"By a small miracle, Griffin managed to answer without choking or drowning, “There’s no need.”" Ouch, my heart again. And I was just having fun with their casual convo.

"Griffin had already spent every day since Domino’s last thanking the ghosts of her friends for vanquishing the ghosts of her past." I'm hoping that at least at some point she was also grateful that she was alive so that she could teach her students.

"Griffin winced inwardly at the way her tongue had curled around Valtor’s name, savoring each syllable like it was a language of its own. It dissolved into the acid in her mouth, dripping towards her heart that was already ashamed for the reaction. Griffin could only hope Marion couldn’t see how her body was betraying her friend." I hope someone at least will notice and help her calm down because feelings are not betrayal when you don't act on them and she hasn't. She's being too harsh on herself and it's breaking my heart!

"Griffin… please, just tell me anything about her.” Well, that made me cry again.

"She didn’t feel comfortable sharing anything personal about Bloom – anything her mother should know. Even if that had been exactly what Marion had asked for, it felt like rubbing salt into old wounds that hadn’t even gotten a chance to heal yet." I just really liked this although the next sentence (that I didn't quote) was what I actually expected from her. I mean, guilt is just the logical reaction to expect from her. Though, I did chuckle at the idea of Bloom being a witch and going to Cloud Tower. That would've been so much fun!

“Her aura is akin to yours.” (Ouch at the previous sentence). Despite what Griffin thinks in the next paragraph, I actually thought this was kinda cute, actually.

"Every keeper had their own signature. And that was what was so fascinating to Griffin." I love this! Also, the mention of Griffin interacting with Daphne! That would be so interesting to see.

"Griffin had been distracted during the first moments of the battle in Alfea because of that, and she’d had to try her best to shut out both the mental and physical reactions to suddenly being in the proximity of the Dragon Fire again." I love how this is probably both because of her familiarity with Marion's Dragon Fire as well as with Valtor's.

"It feels as if I have one physical and one psychical daughter, and neither of them is fully mine.” Oof, this whole conversation was already painful and this takes the cake. I don't have much to say about it when it is all feels refusing to get into words but I think you have done a great job of portraying everything that the situation is doing to them.

"With a glance at Griffin, Marion added carefully, “You probably know how that feels.”" Omg, I am dying. It is so ironic how they can find understanding in each other considering what happened.

"There was no hiding anymore; her soul was spread out in the hall, coal-black against the bright pink of the walls. Griffin worried Marion might see Valtor’s fingerprints not just on her soul but on her person as well." Holy shit, that description! I love this even though it pains me so much for various reasons, the most notable of which being that for Griffin having her soul touched by love only made it darker.

"She jerked away automatically. How could Marion stand to touch the hands that she knew had caressed the man responsible for the destruction of her family and kingdom?
“Why would you say that?”
If she’d felt like she had an ounce of right to be angry, Griffin would’ve been, but the question came out whiny instead." Ugh, I can't see through the tears I am blinking back over here.

"Marion’s gaze was gentle. “Because 17 years have gone by, but I still know you, and many things have changed, but you still look like you can scarcely breathe under all that guilt.”" Ahh, Griffin and Marion feels again. Stop pushing my heart around like that! It can't keep up!

“You’re not just your feelings, Griffin. Love never made anyone a bad person. You’ve shown you can think around your heart, and I respect that.” This is still painful but I am happy that someone finally told her that. I an sure Faragonda has said it a lot of times already, but maybe now that it's coming from Marion who Griffin feels she wronged the most, she can finally listen.

"stripped her down to her battered heart and lost idealism." This really hit me for some reason.

"But the half she’d left behind years ago remained just as frozen as the man who held it." (Everything before this was quote-worthy but I only have so much of This review left.) And now I am missing pieces of my heart.

"Claimed to not only know that but accept that. Even after everything Valtor had done in the name of revenge and after how much his heartbreak had cost her and everyone she held dear." Why does everything with them have to be so complicated? This is so painful but at least they are together once more and can count on each other for support. (As soon as Griffin can accept that.)

"Only deep gratefulness for the friend she should never have been able to make. Thank the Dragon for returning Marion to her." I am weeping once again!

"In a bout of reckless affection, Griffin drew Marion in for a hug." So many feels again and you really need to stop playing my heart like a ping-pong ball.

"Staying closer than she’d been comfortable with earlier with past mistakes wedging themselves between them, Griffin tried for a smile that, for the first time in their conversation, came without resistance. “I’ve missed you.”" See above.

"Her friendship with Faragonda was so long and powerful that Griffin barely remembered the time before she’d known she always had at least one person to rely on. Faragonda had always been there for her; it had never occurred to Griffin that the sentiment could apply the other way around, as well." And again. I swear, those last few paragraphs were separate journeys all packed into one big package of feels and I am not sure whether I've opened Pandora's box or a gift. Maybe a lighter version of the box that could be considered a gift despite the pain it brings? I think that works well enough.

Well, this really destroyed me! I have no idea what last shreds of my heart you haven't managed to tear apart already but I can't wait for the bext chapter when I will surely find out!

O.O I can't wait to be the fly on the wall when that conversation with Bloom happens

The concept of intergenerational trauma really fits the Domino royal family well. Especially when we realized that with the Ancestral Witches’ assault on Domino, a lot of things were torn asunder. Marion and her daughters were torn apart, and this would have wreaked havoc on both their minds and bodies. This would have caused epigenetic changes that would potentially make them more vulnerable to certain illnesses, like cancer and schizophrenia. Eventually this will be passed down through future generations of fairies. And it’s painful and terrifying.

Okay, the beginning of this is already hurting me and I will not quote anything specific just to spare myself more of that and to keep this review somewhat in check. But my thoughts just went "I want to quote the first paragraph. And the second one. And the one after that. And oh, god, the parts with Daphne. And Marion wishing to trade her own freedom for Daphne's well-being. Well, damn, I can't quote the whole fic." So I am not going to. But know that I wanted to.

"Marion observed keenly as understanding flashed in Griffin’s eyes, frowning as the woman pressed her lips together with the most delicate nod. Griffin’s reaction, coupled with Faragonda’s odd choice of words, made Marion worry about how severe the conflict had been. Faragonda’s statement didn’t seem like something one would say if the falling out had only lasted for a reasonable amount of time. Marion couldn’t imagine what could have been atrocious enough to have caused the two to drift apart." Oof, I had to quote this. Why are they like this? Poor babies! And Marion reading into the situation so well because she knows them both is piling even more feels on top of the ones I already had both for the fallout and the understanding Griffin and Faragonda have reached about it. They've made their peace with it and they both know it and it is beautiful even when it is painful simply on account of them having to go through that.

"Saladin spoke calmly, but his reluctance to spread the hurt that was already urging Marion to shut her ears was evident in his eyes. Instead, Marion bit her teeth together to keep the pain from spilling out – maybe it would quench the rage she could feel building up inside her since they now knew who were to blame for Daphne’s suffering." I am really loving the inclusion of Saladin! This part might have been short but it showed him knowing both Faragonda and Marion and being a part of the team both physically and emotionally and I am eating it up! Also, the second sentence is just painful. I really don't know what else to say about it except that it really means a lot to see Marion so enraged.

" Her firstborn had always had the weight of the world on her shoulders as if the crown and the etiquette and everything else that came with being first in line for the throne weren’t enough." I love this kind of understanding between Marion and Daphne and I think it is impressive you have managed to put it in a scene in which one of them isn't even present.

"But the paradoxical bittersweet feeling once again filled her aching heart as Faragonda praised Daphne’s love for and dedication to her little sister. Not least because Marion couldn’t stop thinking it shouldn’t have been Daphne’s job to take care of Bloom but her parents’." Daphne deserves all the praise. And Marion is a great mom, too, even if she is showing it through guilt and self-deprecation.

"“I’m sorry, hold on”, Marion said, holding up her hand to interrupt, “I’m not following. Bloom has the Dragon Fire? How…” First, I would like to note that I love how Marion's royal bearings are coming through so clearly in the first sentence. And then the Dragon Fire bit. I love how you described her shock at not having felt it in Bloom and also the things about her pregnancies. I had kinda forgotten that Daphne had the Dragon Fire before she gave it to Bloom (or that we had a conversation about all these things) but I am reminded now and oh, boy...

"“What?”
Oritel’s shock barely registered in Marion’s hazy mind as she stared at Saladin, forgetting to blink.
“Daph- Daphne gave her Dragon Fire to Bloom?” Marion repeated, having a hard time comprehending what she’d just heard. “She gave away her birthright?”" I am getting so many feels. And shivers. Feels and shivers, definitely. I love how shocked Marion is that Daphne could have parted with the Dragon Fire. I think it says a lot about her character, about Daphne's character and about their link to the Dragon Fire and how Marion, specifically, view it. I love it!

"The fire ran deeper in her than any biological matter; if Marion hadn’t seen herself bleed in the battlefield many times, she could’ve sworn her veins contained magma instead of blood. No amount of Belladonna’s ice could match the coldness of losing her flame." Oof, this hit really, really deep. It just expanded on Marion's thoughts and emotions on the Dragon Fire and I love that. Plus, again, the connection it shows between Daphne and Marion. Not to mention those parts where M&O are just so proud of their girl. It's so beautiful while also painful as hell. Stop!

"Marion could sense the coherence steadily evaporating from her, so to avoid words she didn’t have at the moment, Marion reached out to pull Faragonda in for a brief embrace before the woman took her leave. As much as Marion’s soul had wept during their conversation, she wasn’t so crippled by her own pain that she’d be blind to her friends’. Just because her daughters were at the front and center of her mind didn’t mean she hadn’t noticed how Faragonda had faltered while speaking about certain topics, how Griffin had avoided eye contact, how Saladin had hovered over both of them, or how Hagen had stayed in the background the entire time. She’d noticed and she swore to do something about it all as soon as she could spare one of the hands that were currently needed to squeeze the reins of her heart and brain with a force that turned her knuckles white." All of this is just... uggggh! *clutches at heart* Or I might just do what Marion is doing in that last sentence. Seems appropriate. I love that she hugs Faragonda again since it means a lot when we've agreed she wouldn't be one for much physical contact thanks to the way she was raised. And her thoughts on her friends, how she knows them so well and noticed things even when she was so shaken herself and her emotional state was all over the place. She is so precious and I love her. I will use this scene break to go weep in peace in a corner. Brb.

"she wondered if Faragonda, too, had guessed at some point." Omg, stop! And here I thought you'd already cashed in all the Faragonda and Marion feels, at least for now. I was not prepared for this and now I am ready to cry at the beauty of this friendship and how it keeps shining through the clouds of the past and all that they went through.

"She knew Oritel was nearby and probably worried about her, but he had let her be." I'm getting shippy feels.

"Her Dragon Fire, just like the animal it had first belonged to, was volatile and temperamental at heart but, in the right hands, dependable and loyal, agreeing to bow down to someone who treated it as an equal." I love the description of the Dragon Fire as a power in its own right that is independent from the magic user it is harbored into.

"protecting her by claiming her as its own. It wouldn’t forfeit the control of any part of her, just as she’d be desperate to preserve the force giving her life." I just thought this was really interesting and further elaborated on her feelings from earlier when she learned about Daphne's sacrifice. I almost feel like she's panicking on Daphne's behalf.

Okay, that next paragraph seems to confirm that as well as show how precious Daphne is. I also really like how this is bringing a... deeper - if not darker - side of Marion out. There is something both more primal and more emotionally-loaded in her connection with the Dragon Fire and I really love reading all of it. It gives a sense of her as a magic user and I really appreciate that since it is one of the most important things to do when you have magic users on your hands. I feel like people rarely manage to portray them in a way that really lets you feel that they are different thanks to the magic they have (and not just because they can do stuff that people without magic can't) and I am so thrilled to see you've done this here.

"burned her eyes like they would burn anyone else’s skin" This was just really neat (I almost said cool XD). (I also loved the idea of Daphne being forced into that choice (because she was), the idea that the Dragon Fire is a responsibility that Bloom was much too unprepared (due to being cut off from her family) to handle and also the way Marion's thoughts cut off for her attention to return on the flames.)

You really need to stop with all the awesome descriptions of fire because I love them so much and don't know what I will do without them in the future.

I loved the things about raising Daphne but I am having so many thoughts I can't sort through right now that I will have to leave it at this. But ouch at Marion thinking Daphne won't be able to be queen. It's a good thing that they managed to find a way to give Daphne her life back.

"Marion didn’t know how to do that. She was used to being listened to, to all conversation halting when she opened her mouth. She knew that for some it was still out of obligation to her title rather than respect for her as a person, but it didn’t bother her as much as it used to." I love that even though it is making me sad and even a little mad.

"it didn’t matter what Bloom wanted. She was a princess and she’d need to accept that and everything that came with it. And it was Marion’s duty as queen to see to it. The people of Domino needed to have their lost princess back at home, so they could start healing from the trauma that would linger in the bloodlines for generations to come." Oh, ouch. That is terrible. Gotta love how both movies completely glossed over all of this, though. Sure, everything is picture-perfect despite it being such a mess and none of them knowing what to do. Of course, that would make perfect sense, why do you ask? I love that you have shown how big the tragedy actually is here.

"the crook of his neck a safer place to bury her face than her own hands" Shippy feels again but those time mixed with intense anguish.

"Marion didn’t think she had room in her heart for any more pain but hearing the effect hers had on Oritel made her grab his shoulder to keep her from crumbling down physically as well as mentally.
She’d never felt smaller than right at that moment, trying to hide in Oritel’s embrace, his arms strong and sturdy between her and the rest of the world she hadn’t been a part of for nearly two decades." Well, now I am just about ready to cry. Especially since, along with the pain, I get this feel of the two of them being together against the world and that is pretty much a surefire way to give me all the feels for a couple.

"But the world hadn’t stopped turning to miss her, so she’d missed everything." I just really liked this phrasing.

"She never got to teach her how to read or to swim. All the precious moments she had had with Daphne, she would never have with Bloom. And even all those dear, happy memories she had tucked deep inside her heart now had a green tint" Oh, damn. Here comes the ugly sobbing.

"The outside world had broken into their bubble – the family that they’d built, and that had been their haven, where nothing should have touched them. And now their family had been broken and lost to politics, and war, and the cruelness of the world." I am not sure if our views on this are pretty much the exact same because we've discussed this or because of the hive mind. Anyway, it actually kinda made me chuckle to see something so familiar that I haven't written myself (although it is painful as hell).

"Had her parents been right – had she disgraced Domino and thus earned the planet’s wrath upon her family?" Oh, noooooo! Don't do this to me! Of course, it is not that. This isn't some universal judgment. It was the evil that the Ancestral Witches were and nothing more. If anything, it is the Dragon Fire that was the reason her family and her planet were torn apart.

"She’d always been too much – too loud, too opinionated, too fiery. They’d beaten her mind to a small box just as they’d stuffed her body to a corset, essentially telling her the only part of her allowed to take up space was the helm of her dress." I was already crying at the first sentence and the second one was just the last nail in the coffin.

"Bloom hadn’t known they loved her, but at least she hadn’t been given the choice to doubt they did, either." Are you finished shredding my heart? Because now that I have already dived into this I have no choice on being in pain over it either.

"With the pressure and burn in her chest, Marion was sure her heart should’ve started to resemble the diamonds she was wearing around her neck. She almost hoped it would’ve. Being numb and impenetrable would make distancing herself from the decisions she needed to make easier." I see you aren't. At least I can focus on the wording here since it is spectacular and I love it.

"Fighting for a deep breath, not for her sake but to provide oxygen for her inner flame to keep it from dying out" I was already in pain over the previous paragraph and you do this? This is being downright cruel rn. (Apply this sentiment for the rest of this paragraph as well.)

"“I’m sorry”, she said, hiding her blotchy face from him as if without evidence, he would forget about her outburst. She hadn’t meant to add to his pain, would never intentionally be selfish enough to search to alleviate hers at his expense.
“Nonsense. Marion…”
With a featherlight touch, Oritel lifted her chin. His eyes blazed with such tenderness that Marion didn’t dare break the gaze even when its intensity pierced right through her.
“It’s okay. I’m here, and it’s just us, remember? It’s always okay.”" I'm sorry, what is this? (Lemme give you a hint - it's the end of my heart.)

"find her way back to him through the fog in her brain and around the shatters of her heart. She just needed a second." Now I am just sort of happy/sad crying over here.

"Marion thought she did know, but it didn’t exactly lessen the effect of his admiration. Marion bit down on her lower lip to keep herself in check, but the fervor and rawness in his eyes knocked the air out of her lungs when Oritel lifted his gaze back to her. Slowly, as if afraid she might disappear, he reached for her lower lip, pulling it down with his thumb to release her teeth’s grip on it.
“I love you.”" This is so soft, what the fuck! I am barely hanging on here. And I am kind of having trouble reading through my tears.

"claiming control over the kiss that was infuriatingly gentle. She needed him to touch her in a way she would still be able to feel the next day, to push her until she reached her limit, to remind her what it was like to be real. At the moment, she didn’t want to remember she was anything but his wife." I can't even lift a finger to gather my heart from the floor.

Aaaaaand now they're doing the forehead touch. How dare you?!

First, the mention of the wedding ring and now of their friends and just... I really hope this will end soon not because I am not completely in love but because my heart won't survive otherwise. Thanks.

I take it back. Now that I noticed there are barely five paragraphs left, I don't want this to end. Goddammit, what have you done to me with this chapter?! (And I spot a mention of the Hagen and Faragonda situation so with a last ouch I will close this comment now.)

There goes my heart. My poor little heart that was totally unprepared for this! I don't even want to think of what the next chapter will do to me if this one was so... *waves hand in a vague gesture* y'know, everything!

This is my review for ch 3 and ch 4 and I have to say I'm deeply impressed and also shook so much.

Oh wow! I mean the pain for the pervious chapter, ouch, I winched so hard when Marion tried to blame Faragonda for Bloom that hurt, but then realizing that Oritel was trying to blame Marion. . . I was astounded. It hurt me to see Oritel and Marion fighting, but it seemed realistic in a way, but still it hurt, which is good for you! You've totally moved me. I was teary. I felt for Griffin and Hagen though for some reason he's a bit quiet. I wonder what he's thinking?

Now onto chapter 4:

Wow! The emotions that Marion had in her was truly heartbreaking much more than the first chapter I'd say. "Daph-Daphne gave her Dragon Fire to Bloom? She gave away her birthright?" - Marion. Ouch. That one was gut-wrenching. I felt as if I'd been given a punch to the stomach with that. Marion's totally heartbroken, over the realization that her oldest daughter had given something apart of her to her younger sister was like breaking the fourth wall or something. I wonder something, Marion kept reflecting that she wanted to be a better mother than her own mother had been. Was her parents cold to her or something? I'm not sure if I grasped that meaning correctly? I may be wrong.

Oritel, is as broken as his wife. I could see it in his eyes. But at the same time, he's trying to be so strong about it, which even hurts more. But I'm glad they had made up. Though, Oritel and Marion having that close intimate moment was something they really needed (and I could imagine that's what happened after they were freed from Obsidian and after that celebration they held). I really love their moments together.

I wonder how Bloom's going to be feeling in the next chapter once she officially meets Oritel and Marion in person? Ohhh why do I have a feeling that Marion might just shatter into a million of pieces? Oritel, for his part, might be more of a silent man, keeping more of his thoughts to himself when he meets Bloom.

I can't wait for the next update! :D

"Griffin stayed put, feeling a weird sense of camaraderie towards Hagen who also hadn’t moved" I just loved this. Idk, we haven't seen much of Griffin and Hagen and I will take what I can get.

"Despite the bumps in both the beginning and the end of their friendship, Griffin was pleased to see the desolation on Hagen’s face replaced with hopefulness" Awwww! I love this! Considering that Griffin can be downright malicious (and the previous sentence about Hagen leaving Faragonda), I love that soft side of her and how it shows that they were actually friends. (Just a warning that my brain is tired and I have no idea what the hell I am saying so this may not be very eloquent but I really wanted to read it.)

"She didn’t resent Hagen’s uncharacteristic cheerfulness. She resented the strings of envy that were slowly but surely threading themselves into her soul for they were witnessing a miracle and she was too filled with negative emotions to feel even worthy of being around all that happiness, afraid she’d infect everyone else." *sigh* Typical Griffin. I mean, I love her but... why do you do this to yourself, Griffin?

"Therefore, as much as Griffin yearned for the chance to touch her long-lost friends in order to make sure the rest of them weren’t all sharing one big hallucination, she’d have to keep her distance." Oh, no, I am literally quoting everything but just... ugggggh, all the feels!

Omg, the things about Valtor... Oof is pretty much all I can say. And then this - "Marion and Oritel were triggers." Damn! I am loving how honest this is about how things are for Griffin even with the parts that may not be so pretty. But she still has the right to feel the way she does and her place in all of this has always lead to complicated... well, everything.

Griffin pulling stupid stunts concerning her health is so in character that it is making me want to cry. And I love the way you describe her mother and especially the things about her childhood room! I also can't help but marvel at how her "plan" to free herself from the terror of the memories sounds both reasonable and incredibly reckless at the same time. I mean. isn't that just the ultimate Griffin vibe?

"Griffin pressed her fingers to her palms to give her brain something to focus on aside from the crippling fear caused by the realization she couldn’t draw in a breath. She felt chills running down her neck and spine and quickly spreading along her ribs, the cold knocking the air out of her lungs. Just like Belladonna. Just like Domino." I love how you're describing this! And also the fact that it sells the idea of the triggers Griffin has and how affected she still is from what happened so long ago!

"fixing her gaze to the pair in question, it seemed that some lost things could be recovered." This is honestly making me want to cry! It's somehow soft while it is also punching you in the face with Griffin's disbelief that... something good is actually happening and it is related to the catastrophe that the war was? HOW? I love it!

"Griffin could feel the magic, though she couldn’t tell if the pull she felt was due to the strength of the magic or because her own was on high alert after all the emotions she was caught in between. Seeing Marion and Oritel was just like it had been to see Valtor again, only nothing like it." Okay, so first, I love that Griffin is the only one to mention the magical imprint Obsidian has left on Marion and Oritel and I love what it says about her and the way her thoughts flow (if everything before that wasn't telling enough already). And then that second sentence! I am ready to scream but it is late in the night and that wouldn't be the best idea. I love the comparison between M&O and Valtor and how it is both contradicted and at the same time not.

"If Griffin hadn’t been running her hands over her body regularly ever since she’d left the Coven to make sure she didn’t bear Valtor’s mark on her skin as well as in her soul, she could’ve sworn he’d branded her. It didn’t make sense otherwise, how irrevocably he was etched into her mind. But that was precisely her problem – he hadn’t used a spell to make her his. He’d marked her with his love, and no amount of time, hate, or regret could wash that off." I am back to quoting everything but I had to! This is awesome and I am loving it even when it is so painfully aware.

"Griffin hadn’t been able to get Faragonda to stop blaming herself. To stop herself from blaming herself, Griffin hadn’t even bothered trying." So first I am getting Griffin thoughts on Bloom and then you go with this. Are you trying to kill me? Uggggh! I'm in pain and in love!

"in fear of her absence being even more offensive than her presence." Okay, this is what legit made me cry. I am not kidding, I am totally blinking back tears here. Why is always everything formed as "pick the lesser evil" with Griffin? Poor baby. (I loved the mention of Ediltrude and Zarathustra btw and that about her heart!)

"All the pleasantries in the world would run out too soon." Yeah, I am just gonna quote as many of the neat things you've written back at you (I do have some self control but it is not a lot so I quote almost everything that catches my eye, the rest being left out due to comment length issues).

"she couldn’t imagine a world where her anything would be a higher priority than happiness for someone like Marion" I am certain that you are trying to kill me now. (I loved the whole paragraph btw but... length issues.)

I loved how Griffin is both happy for M&O and in pain over Valtor. And omg at getting to the conversation! I am so excited!

"Griffin had her eyes on Marion and Oritel, trying to send some sympathy via telepathy, but she had still caught the fraction of a second during which Faragonda’s tone had betrayed her. Griffin’s heart, already in a twist due to her own mess and cracked due to the pain she could see on Marion’s and Oritel’s faces, now ached on Faragonda’s behalf, too. It was no doubt hard being the one who was gone, but she knew firsthand how hard it was being the one left behind." Okay, oof at all of this but also. I love how since the beginning of the conversation there are subtle hints about everyone perceiving the situation and the others' reactions. They all seem to know each other so well and be able to read each other and the group dynamic is awesome even if somewhat loaded with tension due to everything that they need to get through that day. It is worth seventeen (and more to come) years of pain and hopelessness after all. I am so damn sold on them having been a team, though.

And you keep it up with the dynamic between Griffin, Faragonda and Saladin. I love how you sort of separated them from the rest since that was what circumstances and decisions did to them and I loved the reminder that they are actually super close even if it was brief.

"jokingly explaining that Griffin had been the only one who she could share her worst-case scenarios with and still feel as though she was the positive one" Aww, at the Griffin and Marion friendship feels!

"Looks could be deceiving, though; Griffin knew Marion could easily match her husband’s temper if she was pushed enough." Oh, I love this! I mean, it is very painful in the current context but I love how well it characterizes the friendship between Griffin and Marion.

"continue raining down on her" Oh, my god, you didn't!

"“Where were you, Marion? Why weren’t you with Bloom? Why weren’t you there for her? Why weren’t you there?”
“Because I was with you!” Marion screamed.
“Why? I didn’t ask you to! You shouldn’t have done that!”" I. AM. SHOOKETH! OMG, I was not expecting this. And neither were the rest of them as is evident.

"Griffin snuck a glance at Faragonda who looked like she wanted to break up the argument. Saladin had apparently reached the same conclusion as Griffin as he carefully moved within arm’s length of Faragonda. Hagen stood in his corner like he wanted to melt into the wall behind him." I am actually laughing but it is more of that hysterical laughter that you do simply because you have no idea what else you can do. This is like a brutal slap in the face (in the best way since that is exactly what all of this situation should be like!) but I still like that group dynamic, how M&O are together but apart in a sense as they are in their own argument, G&F&S have their own dynamic going on and Hagen is just out of all of it while they are all going through the shitstorm of situation together. I think it is very telling of all the emotions if anything hadn't been grasped by now.

"“I’d already lost everything else. I couldn’t lose you, too. Couldn’t.”" I loved the conflict, how it unfolded, the driving force behind it, Griffin's understanding of it all as well, and the way it ended. It felt very natural and despite it being wrapped up quickly it didn't feel rushed or cut off. It ended naturally when the explosion of feelings subsided and I liked that. I think it makes sense that all they have accumulated over the years of being trapped in their own minds and what they had to comprehend in the short time after they were saved from Obsidian would just explode like that but wouldn't manage to spread too far because they still haven't processed the new information and how it reframes the old one. (Plus, I love how Griffin's thoughts always drift to Valtor as he is an inseparable part of her but, unfortunately, the same way that the war is a part of her.)

"Griffin couldn’t hear the words they exchanged while they had their faces pressed against each other’s necks, and she averted her eyes, the moment too intimate to intrude upon even out of revenge for getting subjected to the previous fight." I just don't know how to react to this! I am laughing again because I don't know what else to do. Like... Griffin is being her typical witch self while also being a soft friend and shaming herself with guilt (I think) and that is just too much on top of all those M&O feels!

I love that Hagen is the one to bring them back to reality. I can't articulate it currently but I love it! And everything else in that paragraph is absolute gold! I. AM. LOVING. IT!

"Faragonda rushed to answer, side-eyeing Griffin like she was afraid she’d say something inappropriate; the thought humored Griffin." I just have to quote this. I love it far too much not to. It is so them and it is good to see Griffin hasn't drowned completely in her self-deprecation (yet).

I love the talk about how they handled (not) their trauma from the war and the painful reflection Griffin is going through. I am getting all sorts of feels from warm friendshippy ones to the ones that leave me nearly clutching at my heart because it hurts. (And a special shoutout to the parts with Saladin!)

"It was the silence that scared her most after the war. Before that, she’d spent so long in the throes of passion and love, then guilt and hate. Her life had been on fire from the moment she’d met Valtor. And although the world was most certainly on fire after the war, Griffin just felt… empty. She shut down, her mind locked into the past as her body was reduced into a biological entity." Okay, this flashback is opening with a bang and I am already crying. I love how this can be taken as if the fire is different now that Valtor (and M(&O)) is gone.

Griffin's survivor guilt is killing me even though I am not at all surprised by it. I love the fact that she acknowledges the fact that the war is not her doing as she hasn't lost every shred of objectivity she has (probably because she knows that as much as she might see herself as a monster, the Ancestral Witches have always been the true monsters and considering how powerful they were, there was no stopping the war) but then she (you) does this - "she was painfully aware of the fact that she’d played a part on both sides. Neither of which had won." - which just feels like she equates her presence to the reason for the losses and I am just In. Pain!

"The pain made her breath hitch, and the tears that she’d kept inside her in hopes that she could’ve used them to stick the pieces of her heart back together burned her skin as they rolled down her cheeks. Saladin didn’t say anything as he sat down next to her, offering her everything he could in his silence that for once gave her room to breathe instead of trying to suffocate her." Okay, first, I am crazy for that description in the first sentence. Second, I love the fact that it was Saladin who helped her through that as you have made it very clear why it couldn't be Faragonda (ooh, and if I am not totally dying both from shippy feels and agony due to the way she thinks of Valtor). And then the motif of the silence that threads through the flashback and sews the end back to the beginning. I love it all!

YESSS at the mention of Mike and Vanessa! Thank you!

Oof, at the fighting fire with fire but this - "She knew Bloom was the baby that had brought fragile hope to the bleakest of times, the baby that had been the embodiment of everything they’d been fighting for, the baby Griffin had held in her arms and sworn to protect with her life. The baby they’d thought had died along with her family and planet." - is what is going to kill me (along with Griffin being so prone to blaming herself for everything no matter how big a role she's played in it. (Also, another thought here but that is to be saved for a Tumblr discussion.)

"It was a miracle, although no thanks to her incompetence." Aaaaand she's at it again. I am torn between loving the feels I am getting on account of how close she was with the Domino royal family and screaming because of all the self-loathing her affection for them is turning into. They wouldn't want that for her.

"How would she justify the scenario in which she was to blame and Faragonda wasn’t for a decision they’d made together? Faragonda wouldn’t accept empty words, and Griffin couldn’t answer to Faragonda’s arguments with a clear conscience. So, she let the sentence die." Oof, all the friendship feels! And all of the angst also! I love how you're showing that Faragonda is also carrying guilt and I love how they are both being sensible when it comes to the feelings of the other one but not when it is their own emotions they have to deal with. I have said it before and I will say it again, they are two peas in a pot even when they seem like opposites at times. They are literally like reflections of one another and I am so here for it even if all that it does is multiply the pain.

"“Don’t”, Griffin rushed to reassure while trying not to choke on her selfishness. She’d rather collapse under the weight of the past than let Faragonda think she needed to carry hers as well." I am totally crying at what they are willing to do and to take for each other (and so fast after they just patched up their friendship!). This relationship is so beautiful even when it hurts so much with how ready they are to sacrifice their own sanity to keep the other one intact.

"Maybe it would help restore Griffin’s belief in the universe, too." Okay, so I have done this myself a few times but it always cuts so deep to hear that Griffin's belief in the universe has wavered. It's just... Personally, it shakes me profoundly to hear that.

"“Does Bloom know that you’re her…“
“No.”
Griffin studied the creases around Faragonda’s eyes that should’ve been from smiling, and the lines near the corners of her mouth that should’ve been her dimples. The apparent self-loathing made her stomach drop.
“You should tell her”, Griffin said softly. “She should have someone. And you’ve been nothing but an exemplary fairy godmother all these years; trust me on that, Fara.”" I am so in love with this and I really wish that Faragonda would have listened to Griffin. They are too similar and why are they both so stubborn, goddammit! I am getting frustrated here!

"The repeated invitation and the underlying suggestion warmed Griffin’s heart, but she shook her head. Witches didn’t do those kinds of parties, nor did they recover from tragedies quickly. Griffin wasn’t about to let her students into a situation where they would be tempted to seek oblivion from drinking or in the arms of someone who wouldn’t give them a second thought the following morning. The more cautious ones, for their part, would escape the joyous celebration they’d feel guilty for being unable to take part in, to the unhealthy thoughts inside their head. She knew from personal experience where those coping mechanisms could lead to, and most of her students didn’t have someone like Faragonda to look after them." (Back to quoting everything it seems.) I LOVE how responsible Griffin is being with her students! She is definitely not giving herself enough credit for being such an empathetic headmistress (and adult because, I swear, sometimes it feels like adults have amnesia about their teenage years, though I am wondering whether perhaps here it is less a question of age and more a question of how much your judgment holds under the pressure of trauma, pain and guilt). She is being so soft while also wise while at the same time aware of her own mistakes and her inability to deal with them. It is such a weird mix and my heart is on a rollercoaster again, thanks.

"Griffin would need to revive the right parts of her own. She hoped Faragonda would be able to do the same, for she had her people to support as well," Yeah, I had to quote this, too! I love how Griffin is coping with this by thinking about the people she needs to take care of even if it can still be unhealthy if she represses her own feelings but she herself acknowledges that she will need to face at least some parts in order to be able to help anyone else. It is like the opposite of a vicious circle where she has to take care of herself if she wants to take care of her students and I love that. Also, I am glad that you fixed the plot hole that never mentioned how traumatized they all must be. It is good to have that acknowledged, especially the way you have done it!

I am glad I read this a bit before I have to head to bed because I am pretty sure I will not be able to get anything else done today as I am barely functioning after this! I loved this part so much! (And I totally hadn't realized I'd reached the end of the chapter so I was absolutely shocked and even upset that there wasn't more. I was so into it!)

Omg! Loved this chapter! There was so much feels from Faragonda especially during the time when she spent on Domino with Oritel and Marion and the old memories slowly resurfacing into her mind, the heartbreak! They way she assumed that the entire domino royal family had perished must’ve really struck her for all these years before meeting Bloom, who survived the destruction. The way Faragonda wanted to protect Bloom from the way just made my heart ache! I liked how she didn’t want to give Bloom so much hope about her parents being alive, because it would only shatter the girl’s heart to million of pieces! The feels! Her reaction to Oritel and Marion being alive again had really stunned her and Faragonda and the rest of the company of light must be so happy and delighted to see the royal couple again! I can’t wait to see what Faragonda’s going to say to them in the next chapter! I hope you update soon! ;D

Omg OMG Reunioooon! i cant wait to see what they'll say! Also Faragonda and Hagen babies. Oritel hugging Faragonda BABIES! Marion and Faragonda BaBiEs! I can't wait!

Okay, I have no idea how coherent any of this is going to be since my mental energy is doing some weird things and I don't know if words will agree to cooperate.

I love the first paragraph even though I am not quite sure what exactly caught my attention there. Probably everything. I like the description of the Domino palace and also the mentions of Faragonda's feelings on it and how it has become sort of like a home. Especially when it is connected to the destruction of her hopes for a peaceful life. It really says something about her connection to the rest of the Company if their friendship can outweigh that.

I loved the brief mention of Hagen and their relationship. It was cute and also hilarious considering Hagen is not the most graceful when it comes to romance and romantic gestures. XD He's still trying, though, and I see Faragonda is happy with just as much.

“We don’t have time for me to explain why I’m right – again. Haven’t I proven it enough times already that I know what I’m doing? You could believe me this time, if only for a change.” Love that! So Griffin. And Faragonda's thoughts about their friendship and the trust Griffin still has to earn with some of the other Company members... Ugh, I am getting all the Company feels and I am so here for it!

"Griffin’s voice hadn’t brooked room for argument, so naturally, Oritel challenged her." Of course. This sounds totally in character.

"“Because she’s here”, Griffin said, dropping her eyes." Ahh, agony. Because I know she is not talking about herself.

"“You mean Marion”, Saladin said, his tone calm and voice level.
“Me?”
Griffin looked a little exasperated as she drew her focus away from the table and to Marion just as everyone else had turned to watch the woman who’d spoken.
“Because of the Dragon Fire”, Marion continued, unprompted, the dawning realization clear on her face, “I’m his counterpart?”" (It looks like I am going to quote half of this but I think after all the time you put in it, you could use pages-long comments XD)
I love all of this! The casual way Saladin just decided to slide in and break through the awkward silence to help Griffin is so cute. I love it! I am getting friendship feels. And Marion's confusion plus Griffin's exasperation (that I think covers up some other feelings) is just sort of adorable. I love all of this sssssssssooooooooo much! It's the CoL interaction we should have gotten!

"She’d caught what Griffin had left unsaid – Valtor wouldn’t trust anyone anymore after Griffin had betrayed him – but Faragonda wondered if Griffin had meant to imply that or if it had just been an unfortunate turn of phrase on her part. People who didn’t know or believe the depth of all the complicated feelings between Griffin and Valtor wouldn’t have thought anything of Griffin’s silence, so Faragonda assumed she was the only one who’d noticed aside from Griffin herself. Although, considering Saladin coming to her rescue, Faragonda was sure he’d noticed the implication as well." I am simply screaming and having so many feelings (not to mention actual tears in my eyes!). Poor babies! But at least Griffin has friends who know her well enough to be there for her in everything. (I needed to step away for a minute to regain composure.)

Aww, look at Marion trying to dissipate the tension even if she would prefer to be in on the action. She is so precious.

"Hagen challenged, just as the argument had started to die down; Faragonda elbowed him carefully in the ribs." I am chuckling. This is so funny and also in character. Yes, please.

Lol, Griffin is being her sassy self and I love it. And Faragonda is being her precious bestie self and I am in awe of how many feelings you have managed to give me in so few words. I am not complaining, of course. Quite on the contrary. I love the calm and familiarity of their friendship you can feel instantly the moment it is just the two of them. It is so perfect!

"Because I know you. I know when you have a plan. And more importantly, when you don’t. You don’t have a plan for meeting Valtor.” I was already drowning in feels in those previous few paragraphs and then you go with this and just... *ugly sobbing* This is both so soft and so cutting. My babies!

“I’m afraid we can’t stop Valtor without killing him. And I’m not sure I- I’m not sure I wouldn’t try to find another way, even if there were none.” *crying intensifies*

"She’d never held the lives Griffin had taken against her – not only would that have been cruel, but it would’ve been of no use as the ones Griffin deemed just wouldn’t have an effect on her, and the ones Griffin regretted already haunted her." All I can say is that this friendship is everything and I am in love with the way you are portraying it.

Faragonda's thoughts on war were tough but then you swerve to her admiration for Griffin and then back to the complicated parts and I feel like a small boat tossed in an angry ocean, except for the fact that I am loving it. XD

Um... Are you trying to kill me? First this:
"Griffin spoke again, unbothered by Faragonda’s lack of a response as she surely knew it was always in good faith. Her eyes shone with tears and desperation, which made Faragonda round the table to draw her in for a hug."
And then this:
“I used to trust him with my life, Fara. How do I kill him?”
What are you doing? I am going to need my mind at least to get to the end of this but it hurts just as much as my heart!

"Faragonda had sworn never to tell Griffin what to do when it came to Valtor. She’d told Griffin that she trusted her judgment more than Griffin herself did. The more private reason was that she didn’t understand. She believed it when Griffin told her Valtor had loved her, and Faragonda could see it herself that Griffin had loved him in return, but everything that had transpired between them had stayed between them. Neither the Coven, the Company, nor anyone else was concerned. But now Valtor’s revenge against Griffin had become one with his revenge against the world and feeling responsible for the collateral damage would kill Griffin before he’d ever get the chance." (That previous paragraph was amazing as well but I am trying to stick to quoting half the fic, not all of it.) I would really love to try unpacking this but I am pretty sure that nothing remotely comprehensive will come out of that so I am just going to leave it here along with the fact that my poor heart is not handling this. They are all so them and it is as painful as ever but I am even more invested in this for that very reason (go figure).

"Faragonda squeezed Griffin tighter, her words certain. “You think about everything else that he’s threatening.”" Not just the ".exe" part of me has stopped working. EVERYTHING has stopped working.

Awww! I love how excited (among other things) Faragonda is. And that moment she shared with Saladin. I am getting the friendship feels! (I know I said that already but it is true again.)

I love Faragonda's thoughts on Winx! Also this:
"It had been Griffin’s offhanded comment that had had Faragonda first draw parallels to the Company of Light, and though she’d been very careful with that notion, she couldn’t deny the similarities."
Really, how are all of them still alive? XD I mean, don't get me wrong, I am thrilled about it but those are some insane levels of beating the odds of survival.

"Even though it hadn’t been the reason for waking her up in the middle of the night for a long time, it still bothered Faragonda greatly that she hadn’t been present in the royal pair’s final battle against the Ancestral Witches." Aww, poor baby! But I love how ecstatic she is about their return and the reunion of the Company.

"Moments she carried with her every single day but hadn’t thought about in years were now playing in her head clearer and sharper than they’d ever been during the chaos of the war and the devastating numbness that had followed it. The images kept on coming, certain moments playing multiple times and from different angles, decisions, possibilities… It was no different than back when she’d rewound the memories from the war in her head the day after they’d left Domino, frozen on the edge of her bed like the planet they hadn’t been able to save, except now she relived that day as well, her past and present spiraling together – until there was a knock on the door." I love the way this portrays that even Faragonda who is more sensible and less prone to blaming herself (than some other Company memebers) still has this sense of failure even when it wasn't up to her to do anything more. It's a good way to portray the war and the imprint it left on those it touched.

Omg, I love the way you have touched on Enchantix and that it was ultimately possible for Bloom to win it because the planet wasn't completely dead, after all, and its people were still out there. Such a cool idea!

"Faragonda had had her other students and teachers to think about as well, even when the past had hung over her and Bloom’s heads like a guillotine waiting to drop." I love this sentence! So much to consider and in a way Faragonda's new position as the leader of Alfea is outweighing her previous affiliations and even some regret she still has for what happened when the Company was a team.

"She’d been unable to keep Bloom safe from the war, so she’d decided to keep her safe from its consequences at least." Awww. :( Poor baby. Though, I love how this gives more insight into her feelings and explains why she feels responsible for not telling Bloom the truth. I love it.

"She’d held on to her reasoning, managing time and again to convince herself that keeping Bloom in the dark was the right thing to do. But now, with the faith of her friends lifted from her shoulders, Faragonda was finally brave enough to ask herself if she’d done it for Bloom or for herself. She’d been sincere in trying to prevent the girl from getting hurt – but what if she’d been selfish in her ways to go about it? What if it hadn’t been that Bloom had needed to find the answers herself rather than that Faragonda hadn’t wanted to look her in the eyes and tell her how she had failed? How Bloom’s parents had been heroic while she’d been sitting on the ground, trying to summon enough focus and energy despite the concussion to at least shield Hagen who’d been forced to stay with her and fight the monsters she had no longer been able to." Oh, damn! First, I love that there is a concrete reason for Faragonda feeling like what happened on Domino is her personal responsibility. Less so loving the fact that she is blaming herself (especially when her injury could have very well been used to justify why she couldn't have been of more help but she chooses to look at it like that) but I have to admit that I am a bit amused by the similarity between her and Griffin. Even when Faragonda is trying to be the voice of reason for others (Griffin specifially) she is still not quite so reasonable herself when left to her own feelings. And the fact that she and Griffin are complementary parts of one whole makes me think that Griffin has also been the voice of reason Faragonda needed sometimes, which I absolutely adore.

"The flickers of guilt Faragonda had managed to avoid even through all those conversations with Bloom now anchored themselves in the pit of her stomach, making it turn. " I simply had to quote that because I love the wording. Even if my brain is insisting that I am quoting too much.

"She’d thought she’d made her peace with the war and everything that had happened. But recent events made her doubt if she had ever moved past it so much as pushed it far enough back so that she hadn’t seen it." Yeah, okay. I keep quoting and I am not even sorry for it. These are all just amazing. I love the way she is reevaluating her own feelings on the matter now that there is less to avoid when her friends are alive.

"She remembered the ground tilting under her feet and the cold dread creeping up her body in the opposite direction of the warm blood that had been trickling from the various cuts on her skin. The silence of no one knowing how to answer the one question they all had had. The uncertainty. The denial. The despair. Hagen had been on his knees in the snow that had been gathering unnaturally quickly, Saladin limping to sit next to him, his injured leg unable to support his weight, whereas Faragonda had clung onto Griffin with the shoulder that had still been in its right place to keep herself upright and prevent herself from joining them on the ground, the ice having started to bother her without the strength to stay in her fairy form to shield herself from the elements." I love this! We didn't get anythig definitive about the battle, not to mention the aftermath but this was very much needed both for my heart and to flesh out the friendship that the Company had been formed around. I think it is the perfect place for it so that it can set up the conversations that will come next.

"As ironic as it sounded, the day she’d lost all hope had been the day she’d finally been able to think about the future. She hadn’t questioned the decision since." This is both harsh and sort of peaceful. Like, it was the right decision since, otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to move on with her life (I love the descriptions of how she felt after the war, reminded me of that fic I wrote (had forgotten about that but, man, this really is eerily similar) XD) but now with the new information. I can see how guilt can creep back on her.

That next paragraph is making me hurt for her but I think it showcases very well why she is feeling the way she is. And her guilt feels a bit more... idk, reasonable? than Griffin's. Although, ultimately, I think they are both trying to rationalize why they deserve to feel guilty instead of doing the opposite which should have been the case but alas. We just have two overly responsible babies (aka grownass badass women that I absolutely adore) on our hands and this is what comes with it.

“Headmistress”, Griselda’s face popped out, the woman seeming abnormally wary about interrupting her, “headmaster Saladin and headmistress Griffin are here.” This was just funny to me. XD But it does sound like Griselda. Or at least Griselda as she would be in that situation (in which something is happening but she probably doesn't know all of it).

"The nervousness was thick in the air, bringing comfort to Faragonda as it reminded her that she wasn’t alone with her feelings. Griffin and Saladin had been there for her through absolutely everything – they understood. It was bittersweet almost, to think that the short moment they shared in her office now, forcefully ignoring whatever dark places they’d all no doubt been in just minutes ago, would be the last of its kind." I am getting so many feelings. Like, you don't even know. (Which is why I keep quoting so much. #sorrynotsorry but I love all of this!)

"“And then again not”, Griffin said, her tone curious enough that Faragonda turned to look at the woman just in time to see her avoid her eyes. She exchanged a glance with Saladin but he, in turn, was in Griffin’s line of sight and hence only offered Faragonda a resigned smile." I am so amused by this. But like, a pained amused. Amused because it is simply funny and I also love how well they all know each other (finally Saladin doesn't feel like a third wheel and is a part of the group as well). But pained because, well... you know very well why all of this is painful since you wrote it!

Okay, the mention of Valtor is making me wail. (I thought of copy-pasting that whole paragraph as well but decided we could go without that.)

"After decades and decades of friendship, Faragonda sadly still couldn’t navigate the zigs and clefts in Griffin’s mind, but she knew they existed and what happened when an idea got stuck in one of the dead ends of that maze. Faragonda trusted Griffin implicitly; she knew where Griffin’s loyalties lied and wanted to make sure she knew she was by her side no matter how twisted her thoughts and feelings got." Omg, I love this for so many reasons! Like, you showed that they still know each other so well (before the mention of Valtor) and even if that first sentence seems to go against that notion, I think it only strengthens it since they do know each other well. And even if they don't know absolutely everything, they know enough to remain as close as ever no matter what is trying to get between them as you point out in the second sentence. I love it!

"hoping she could draw some of the guilt that never seemed to completely leave Griffin, through osmosis" Loving this! Faragonda has enough troubles of her own but she is still willing to take some of Griffin's on her shoulders (or, well, in her cells) and it is just too damn precious!

"Oritel had never been shy to express his opinions about Griffin’s past affiliations with the Coven, and that had been before they’d become responsible for the destruction of his family and planet. Faragonda just wanted Griffin to know where her loyalties lied. Before she could open her mouth to tell her, however, Griffin continued.
“But don’t worry, I’m not planning to steal the spotlight with my problems today.”"
Oh, we're at that part. The first paragraph with Faragonda's thoughts is just... painful but still reassuring. And then Griffin's words are like a slap in the face. Why does she always have to be like that? But we (us, and Faragonda as well) know and love her just as she is.

"It was a blatant lie – or a gross overstatement at least – but it was the only thing they could be dishonest about with each other, and Faragonda was equally guilty of taking advantage of that unspoken agreement between them. " (I totally wanted to quote the whole convo but, jesus, this is getting long so you get only this with the info that I loved all of it.) I love the way they flow. They are just two peas in a pot and we really see that here. I think this is one of the best instances of proof of why they are such close friends and have always been. You have played into their similarities (while absolutely keeping them in character) so well that I can only just stare in awe and say how much I love it!

I love the bit with Griffin and Saladin seeing Hagen again even if this - "She would’ve known twenty years ago, back when she would’ve clasped his hand and waited with him." - was just painful. But I actually like that they are focusing on themselves as a group, as friends *and* as allies and battlemates. It is cool to see that side since we never did.

Focusing on practicalities to avoid thoughts. How does that ever work for anyone? (It doesn't for me, and I don't think it's doing a particualrly successful job for Faragonda either.) I love that she is, even in this situation, taking the time to look at all of her students and check their well-being.

"Hagen evidently thought so, as he called out the exact words. And just like that, Oritel and Marion ran to them, letting go of each other to greet their friends. Faragonda had barely time to comprehend what was happening before Oritel had wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off the ground as he embraced her. She stifled the urge to squeal like the young girl Oritel seemed to think she still was, only fixing him with a mocking smile as he let her down and moved on to Hagen." I was about to squeal at this (but I went for an overjoyed chuckle instead XD)! I was expecting there to be hugs and I am so glad to see (read) them! (Also, lol at that part about the youn girl. It is too funny!)

"Her mix of desperation and delight clashed with Faragonda’s gratefulness and disbelief in a way that left both women on the edge of hysteria, clinging onto each other like their respective lives depended on it." This is so adorable, I am loving it!

"The mistrust in Oritel and Marion’s return after all the years Faragonda had spent thinking she’d lost them lin

Oh my god I think you've broke my heart! This was so sad. Poor Marion her heart continues to break even more once she and Oritel had been freed from Obsidian. She has so many 'emotions' running through her that she can't process it all without feeling agony.

I really loved the scene between Daphne and Marion and the concern that Marion has for her daughter! I can really feel my heart breaking slowly and painfully. I don't think Marion would be able to have that chance with Bloom. I really liked how she allowed Oritel to simply hold her in his arms again after all these years finally being reunited again. Ugh. The heartwarming feels.

"It was torture having you so close when I couldn't touch you." — Oritel, the secret of the lost kingdom.

I was like damn he's thirsty not that anyone could really blame him for being torn away from his wife. In that very scene, you could clearly see how intimate they are and how in love they are with each other. It's so sweet! From that powerful scene alone, they'd become my fav couple of all times.

I really loved how you portrayed Marion's feelings here! It feels completely realistic rather than canon as to how the family being reunited with a big happy smile. It wouldn't make sense. Oritel and Marion don't know a single thing about Bloom's and she doesn't know much about her birthparents either.

The writers simply made Bloom being utterly happy with them (sure she'd be pretty happy in seeing them) but she wouldn't exactly be used to them or her having to call them Mum and Dad just like that without getting to know them properly.

But what really got me was the fact when Bloom spoke, Marion hadn't recognized her daughter's voice and the tears in her eyes. OUCH. That really hurts.

I can't wait to see the next chapter about Marion meeting Faragonda. I loved this chapter and can't wait to see where the story would go! I hope you update soon! :D

First, I want to say that I really love the title! It seems so fitting and is also super feelsy. At least the way I understand it and what it stands for. It's awesome! Now on to the fic (the long awaited moment!)

Ooh! Daphne and Marion are flying together! That is so cute! I love it! (This is shaping up to be a stream of consciousness type of comment so I don't know how coherent or structured it will be.)

Okay, it is actually totally adorable. They're kind of playing tag but with flying. That must be awesome and a cool way for some mother/daugfhter bonding. Also, I like the way you've written Marion's worry. It is in no way potent but still tangible and feels so motherly while also not over the top since Marion is assessing the situation and trusting Daphne's judgment instead of jumping into panicking but she still can't help her concern for her little girl. Thanks, I love it! :D

Omg, I am living for the mother/daughter dynamic and all the care that is evident in such a short period of time. I also really like the balance you've struck between them having that parent-child vibes but also conversing like adults and respecting each other. It is awesome! (And I loved the line about Daphne wanting to know her realm because she is the nymph.)

"They spend the following hour flying around the forest, alternating between bursts of speed and intricate spirals, avoiding tree trunks, and testing which one of them could fly closer to the lake surface without causing ripples." Yasssss! Both fun and lighthearted while also showing skill (both theirs as fairies and yours as a writer; I loved that sentence!)

"Once she’d grown old enough that hitting the architecture would harm it, her parents had given in, allowing her to leave the yard, provided she stayed close to the castle in case of an emergency." OMG, this sentence! YES! I love everything about it! The idea of Marion literally being stronger than the palace is fucking awesome and I think a perfect instance of symbolism as it shows she is more than the royal lifestyle and also had the strength to win herself some independence. I just... this made me really emotional and I love it with my whole heart! Such an amazing concept! I am grateful to your brain for coming up with it!

Oof, this is starting to get real. I like that we have the beginning of the war and also the fact that the Dragon inside Marion's magic can sense how colossal the threat is. It makes sense when you know the Great Dragon created the universe. Ooh, and the contrast between the flashback that is the beginning of the war and their revival that is only possible when it is over. (Or at least Valtor is over.)

O! M! G! I love the description of Marion finally being back into her body and how it is unfamiliar (she and Daphne have another thing in common even if it is terrible) and the support Oritel is offering. Plus, that about her voice sounding unfamiliar to her but not to Oritel... Ah, I'm getting shippy feels.

It's kinda weird to see Winx through the eyes of someone who doesn't know them (I mean, they're kinda iconic, though my mom can't seem to remember them even if both me and my cousin are into them XD) but in a good way. I actually like that they get to be introduced through their defining qualities. (Btw it is Musa who speaks after Tecna, right? Been a while since I've watched the movie but she got hit by Riven so I'm assuming that's the injury in question there.)

"She wouldn’t have been looking, and if she’d noticed the resemblance, she would’ve turned away. Her daughters had been dead." Ugh, agony. This is really hammering it home how much time they've missed and how painful it is even now that they know Bloom (and Daphne) is alive. Yup, this is the part that is delivering the angst that the movie just decided to skip over for some reason. I've told you that I like the idea of Bloom being reserved when it comes to them (since it is the only thing that makes some actual sense) so I won't go in detail and will focus on what I still haven't praised.

"Curling her fingers around Oritel’s forearms so that she was cradling them, she debated resting her head against his chest and listening to the beat of his heart so she could be sure he really was back. Being publicly affectionate had been on top of the list of things Marion, already as a child, had learned were frowned upon and thus never grown comfortable with, but now, her chest hollow with longing for time she’d been robbed of, and bitterness about a war that had cost her her daughter, she let Oritel draw her closer." I am in love with this whole paragraph and I sure as hell am going to quote all of it back to you. I am getting so many feelings about them even if this interaction is pretty short and I love it. I love that he knows her and is doing his best to comfort her even as he is going through quite the same things that she is.

"His lips lingered on her hairline, as if not yet ready to part from their beloved, while also allowing his familiar scent to soothe her." Yup, this one too! It seems so intimate and they really need it (and so do I). Plus, it speaks of their relationship if all the time they spent separated didn't manage to chip away even a bit of their closeness.

"and the idea that apparently at least Magix had been spared from the destruction that had threatened their entire universe eased her mind a great deal" Oof, okay. I somehow had missed that they didn't know what happened after the war. I mean, the Ancestral Witches were stuck in Obsidian with them so I just assumed they would figure that meant everyone else was safe but yeah... Probably didn't have much time for guesses amidst all the emotional - and otherwise - chaos.

"Marion stepped back just far enough that she could observe their daughter with her suitor" Okay, this was weird to me, personally, but I think it makes sense that Marion will think of him as a suitor rather than as Bloom's boyfriend. Especially when she doesn't know Bloom only recently learned she was a princess.

"The minimal distance between them painted a clear picture of the level of intimacy the pair shared, but Marion tried to push her fears aside and find comfort in the idea that at least Bloom hadn’t been utterly alone." Okay, so... I am not finding fault with your writing or characterization but with canon as it never left me with the impression that Bloom and Sky are actually so close and have that kind of intimacy. So basically, canon is stupid and it creates a dissonance that feels very off to me but your end of it is not the problem. However, I am still not sold on this like I was on the Marion and Oritel stuff. I love Marion's reaction to it, though. There is not a single thought of whether Sky is good enough for Bloom or not and she is instantly happy with the thought that someone loves he daughter instead of thinking about his social status. And she trusts Bloom's judgment about her relationships even when she doesn't know a thing about the person Bloom is. So the romance is not my thing (thanks, canon -_-) but I am getting all the mom feels.

"The word slit something inside her, but as torn as Marion was, she hoped Bloom had found someone to replace the family she’d never had in Domino." Again with the mom feels. Ugh, poor, precious baby! *cries* (Btw, again, it is so weird to me that she looks at Winx and wonders if they're friends. I mean, I know she can't know but... Damn. (At leas the upside of that is that canon made the Winx friendship believable enough to the point where it's weird to question it.))

"She allowed the pictures of baby Bloom being carried on broad shoulders and held in a warm embrace soothe the ache in her arms." OMG, Marion is so precious, thinking about her baby and her happiness first instead of her own! I can tell she is going to be so grateful to Mike and Vanessa. (Thank you for all of that so much!)

"Her brain slipped back to a queen instead of a mother and a wife with ease, the role coming to her more naturally than breathing at the moment since her lungs were out of practice. It was the only thing that didn’t cause her pain, so she greedily focused on it." Just know that I am screeching because I won't be able to say much more on this one.

Oof, the question of how many years it has been! It must be so hard to look at your own daughter and be unable to tell how old she is. Haven't they suffered enough?! *ugly sobbing*

"She knew it hadn’t been the century it had felt like when she’d been trapped in metal, trying to silence the panic of her own mind and the taunts of the unholy hags surrounding her, but Bloom was proof enough that it had been significantly longer than she’d dared hope." Words are failing me at this point but I think you know what I am thinking. Or rather, feeling. *sniffle*

Okay, everything after mentioning Faragonda is awesome but I didn't think I should quote all those paragraphs. I loved the mentions of the strategies and Valtor and how Marion was still bound by her duty even when she knew she had to go after him. Not to mention the worry about her friends that you also wove together with the angst with Bloom. And I liked that the fact that Bloom and Faragonda know each other managed to bring Marion some comfort.

"She hadn’t needed any more reasons to want to go see one of her dearest friends, but that realization made her charge towards the specialists’ ship, dragging Oritel after her." I mean, this was definitely feelsy as well but I sort of got this image of Marion literally dragging Oritel after her like they do in cartoons and the comedic effect is too strong. XD

I liked that this chapter wasn't trying to answer everything at once and explode in emotional intensity. I think it makes sense that Marion has so many emotions that she can't process all of them and she is constantly thrown around between every little thing that pops up.

I am very hyped about the actual meeting with Faragonda! They have so much to catch up on and it is bound to be gut-wrenching.